Differential for automobiles



May 1, 1951 A. c. ABELT I DIFFERENTIAL FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Sept. 22, 1947 INVENTOR I ARTHUR C. BELT m7 fl///;f/

MIM TTORQYS Patented May 1, 12951 UNITED fs'TA'rfs PATENT OFFICE `DIFFERENTIAL FOR AUTOMOBILES 'v Arthur C. Abelt, Richland Center, Wis. Application September 22, 1947, Serial No. 775,454

This invention appertains to gearing and more i particularly to a novel differential especially adapted for use in motor vehicles for Operating the aligned drive wheel axles thereof.

Due to the fact that one drive axle must turn faster than the other, when the vehicle is rounding a corner, much difficulty is experienced with all diiferentials that I am familiar with in that one wheel tends to spin on a slipperysurface when the other wheel engages a firm surface.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of my invention to` provide a novel difierential for the aligned drive axles-of motor Vehicles which will automaticallyl lock when either or both axles are driven from the' propeller shaft, so that such axles will'ordinarily be driven as a unit and which will automatically unlock when one axle and Wheel turns faster than the other and' the drive source such as when the vehicle turns a corner.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide a diiferential having a novel arrangement of gears, whereby the aligned drive axles are connected by two separate like trains of gearing, so that the rotation of one axle will be transmitted to the other axle when the vehicle is either in forward or reverse speeds.

A further important object of my invention is to provide a differential of the above Character' embodying helical gears so mounted and meshed that certain of the gears can be automatically slid laterally into looking engagement with the case of the difierential to bring about the drive of the aligned axles as a single unit at the desired times.

, A still further object of my invention is to provide an automobile diiferential of the above character which will be durable and efficient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture andone which can be placed upon the market and incorporated with an automobile at a low cost.

With these and other objects in view, the in vntion consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be vhereinafter more specifically described and Referrmg to the drawing in detairfi'wherei similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter D generally indicates my mpl'oved difg 1 Claim. (Cl. 74-411) ferentialfand thesame includes a differential casing 5 for receiving the various drive gears, as will' be vlater described, and the inner ends of' the aligned drive axles 6 and 1 for the vehicle wheels. In ordinary practice the casing 5 and the axles 6 and 1 are rotatably mounted in a suitable housing (not shown).

The casing 5 can be constructed in any preferred and approved manner, and for the purpose of illustration, I have shown this casing as embodying disc shaped end walls 8 and 9 which are fastened by means of cap screws Ill to an outer cylindrical side wall This wall has secured thereto or formed thereon a beveled ringv gear |2, which has meshing therewith a beveled drive gear 13 keyed or otherwise fastened to a propeller shaft |4. This shaft 14 is driven from the power plant in the ordinary manner.

The end walls 8 and 9-of the case 5 are provided with aligned axial openings for receiving vthe inner ends of the drive axles 6 and 1, and

these end walls can carry suitable bearings |5 for rotatably supporting said axles. The extreme end of the drive axle 1 has keyed or otherwise fastenedv thereto a helical gear or pinion |6, and this gear or pinion meshes with a similar helical gear or pinion l1i The gear l 'I is carried by a hub |8 on which is secured for rotation with the, gear l1, a helical gear |9. `Itis to be noted that the gears `|1 and 19 have their teeth running in opposite-directions. In other words, one of the gears is aright hand gear and thev other is a left hand gear. The gears |-1 and` |9 and the hub IB are mounted in a novel manner within the casing 5, and it is to be noted that the ends of the hub. I 8 have formed ,thereon friction hub cones 20- and 2|. This unit, namely the gears |1 and IS, the hub |8 and thecones 20 and 2| is mounted for rotation with a shaft 22 rotatably and slidably mounted in the casing', as will now be described. v a

. The inner faces. of -theend walls 8 and 9 of the casing 5 have formed thereonA or secured thereto inwardly extending bosses 23 and 24 in which are mounted respectively cone socket locks 25 and 26. Normally, this unit is positioned, as shown in Figure 1, with the cones 2D and 2| out of frictional contact with the cone sockets 25 and 26. The shaft 22 is rotatably mounted in the end ,Walls 8 and 9, the bosses '23 and 24 and the cone sockets 25 and 26, and Vthe unit is mounted for lateral shifting so that the cone 20 can frictionally engage the socket 25, or so that the conel 2| can frictionally engage the cone socket 26. Mounted for rotary movement in the case but against lateral -shifting are a pair of idle helical gears 21 and 28 having their teeth running in" '"i opposite directions. 'These gears 21 and 28 are mounted as a unit for rotation together and are mounted on a shaft 28', which is rotatably cara pair of helical gears 30 and 3|arrdthese'gears.: have their teeth running in opposite directions, Theends* and are secured to a common hub" 323 of the hub have formed thereonor securedetheresto outwardly extending cone looks 33 and 34.

The hub with the gears .3B and 3| and the cones' 33 and 34 are secured to-a transversely extendingi' shaft'ir 35; which isT rotat'ably and slidably mounted in Ithef-.endf'lwalls 8-* and 97 of the:l case: This? unit; namelyi the-,gears'and 3|; the hub 32;-th'e conesf33 and' 34 and'the'shaft '35, corresp'onds to the unitl comprisingf'the 'gears 1:1? and' |9i`e'tc': Formed on the-'innerv faces'of theside walls 8 and 9 are bosses'3'6iand'31`, and' these bossesfinfturn' carrycone sockets 38 `an'd'39. The unit'indudingthe gears 30'and 3|' can Shift later; ailyfso 'that' the cone 33 can frictionaliy engage thec'one socket/'3850r shiftiaterally in the D- psite direction, so'that the cone 3l|i`wil1V frieti'onaily en'ga'ge' the cone-socketfis; Normalliy; theconesareoutf off fricti'onai engagement with theesockets; as'shOWn infiFigurelf. 'I`h'e-he1ica1`` gear`-29 on the shaftf'S-is in constant mesh With thelgear''fon th'e-shiftab1e'unit. Also rotatably mountediin 1the' case but` against lateral shifting movement'- is. ai pair of like he1ica1'2gears4) and 45|; andithese gears Valso have their teeth running imopposite directions` and` aref mo'unted'` on' a common hub 421 Thefgearsf 'W and 'f'l are idle gears and'are mounted on' a: shaft :3:'31'1'rotatably` mounted'in suitableb'earings carried by the' sidel walls :of the' casing. The-gearl of'theshiftable unit'r'meshes 'with'the idIe--gear 40; and the' idle gear 4| in turnV mesheswith'the' helicai gear |6 carried-'by the-"ax-le' T. This'constitutes thev second trainv of T gearing.

In operatiorroff my di'iferential, when' the vehicle is being driven'y in`` aforward direction andt-ie propeller shaft IliJ is" rotating ina' counter-clockwise'direction; then the'gear case' 57'wif11 'rotate in a clock-Wisedirection'and'carryf thesetsofgears |`|^andi|9a-nd 30' and 31 there- With': These gearsmeshingwith the' gears |6 and ZBKmeShing-'fgears |'l and |'6- and meshing gearsl 2-3? and"39)wi1l cause'the-gear'set comprising the gears |=T1and-`|9 "to'sh'i'ft'to thelleft; see'Figure 1|,

and thegearsf-30 and-3| `toshifttofthe right; This'V is due to the inclination of the teeth of the' gears |-11 and'flG and'the inclina-tio'n of'the teeth of 'the gears29 a-nd`30'.` The iatera'l shiftingof'the gears H and'fl`9* and'the gears-30' and'S-l will'cause'a' fric'tional 'locki 'betweerrthe='cone 20- and the cone socket-'i''andthe -conef3l-andfthelcone-socket 39:: Hence, these sets' of 'gearsfwiiIbefiocked to the casing' against rotati'on; and these gears will' re'- vol'e:V only with the casing: (Stonsequently,v the axles land CT will-'be driven--in' a'clockwisedirection,- andl the vehicle will move forward; When the vehicle'is drivenIinthe reversedirection, thesame' action takes-p1ace',:.on1y= the' sets: of gears' |T"and?|9'wi11`shiftf to the'right and' the gears 3|ir and 3| 'willshift tos'thef-left'. Thus, bothfionlforf- Ward andnreversespeeds; the: ax1esf=6i and 'I will: be driven asvauunitr` As? long as the driveA is. through thezprop'ellerfl shaft, the axles: 'li and. (if

` sockets.

4 will rotate together synchronously, and hence, a drive will be had through both axles When one Wheel tends to spin on a slippery surface.

WhenA the vehicle is rounding a corner, then oneewheel-lwill rotate faster than the other wheel and" at a greater speedl than the case 5. Consequently, say that the axle is rotating at a greater speed than the case 5, the drive Would then'1come'through the axle 1, gear |6 to gear and owing to the inclination of the teeth IE and'V |1; the" gears |9 and would be drawn tofthezrighti'toa', neutral position. Gear |6 will drive idle gear 4|, gearing 4|] and gear 3|, which wifIli'puhV-the gears 30 and 3| to the left to a neutral position.

Thesameactionztakes placefif Vaxl'ez 6 is.v rotating-Izfaster thanptheecase in which instance the drive'zwouid;bei-through gear 29 to gear 3B, and owing to the-fin'clnation of thesewteeth, gears 3|] and;- 31': would: be moved towthefleftto' a neutral positionzandgear 2S1'driving idle-'gears 28 and 21 woudallow'gear 21 to draw gear |'9 to' the right totafneutral position; This gives the desired differential between theaxles 6 and Ifdesired',V compression springs can be mounted on'theiendsnf shafts 22 and 35 to bear against cones; 2`0^ and' 2| and cones 33'and 34, and the case. 5', s'oas-to have tension' against said cones with. any desired pressure to facilitate the shifting thereof* to avneutral position.

Various changes in details can befmadel with.- out departing-`from the spirit'or: the scope of this invention; but'what'I claim; astnew is:

Ina: diiferentiallgearing, the combination of a rotatable casing, a pair of aiigned axleshaving rthei'ri'inner: ends rotatably' mounted in said casing,; a; spirai gearsecured. to: the inner end of e'a'ch';ax1e;for.' rotation therewith; means fort rotating thefcasing, a pair of `spiral gearsirnountedasfa; unit ihavingroppositely' directed teeth,V a pairof like spiral gears'mounted asa unit having their teeth extending in opposite directions in said'casirig', means rotatably and slidably mounting'each set of 'gears in said casing, each set of gears having friction cones on the opposite ends thereof,l fric-tion cone sockets carried by the casing'adapted to receive the conesaticertain times,- one 'gear of'oneset meshing with the helicai gear of oneaxle and one gear of the other set meshing With the helical gear of the other a-Xie, and

means operativelyconnecting the other gear of one set and the' other gear of the other set through' a separate train of gearing to the spirai gears: carried' by the axles to set up a driving connection between the sets of gears and axles When the cones are out of iengagement with the ARTHUH Cl ABELT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record, in the file' of'ithis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Numberi Name Date 1,090;082 Mehl Mar. 10, 1914 1,140,312 Nogrady May 18, 1915 23,000,223 Du Pras May 7, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 308;'451- Great Britain `Mar. 28, 1929 

